Over Memorial Day weekend, a lot of people saw X-Men: Apocalypse. The $80 million box office might have been the weakest of the new franchise, but it was still enough to top the holiday charts. And while many critics and fans alike are perplexed by a seriously uneven showing by veteran X-Men director Bryan Singer – you can read our Drew McWeeny”s review here – there”s one moment that is so baffling, I can”t shake it. It”s not a major plot point. It”s basically a throwaway line. But days after watching the film, it still makes no sense and it”s driving me to distraction.
WARNING: SPOILERS FOR X-MEN APOCALYPSE BEYOND THIS POINT.
Why did Mystique tell Storm about Quicksilver”s parentage?
X-Men Apocalypse makes some strange choices. I”m not going to touch the fact that without mind control, Magneto and the rest of the horsemen thought it was a good idea to wipe out humanity, and everyone forgave them. I can overlook Angel dying in a fiery inferno because he forgot(?) he could fly since his character was pretty useless. I can overlook Psylocke being in her comic book costume without a hint of throwaway line explanation. I can overlook that “Stryker” pulling Wolverine out of the river at the end of Days of Future Past was actually Mystique because a lot can happen in 10 years (even if the movie doesn”t think we need to know what). I can even overlook the lack of explanation about how the kids got Nightcrawler to the mall without anyone seeing him because I assume the answer is Jean Grey. But I”m having a hard time with Storm knowing Magneto is Quicksilver”s dad.
Why? Because I can”t imagine a scenario where Mystique – reticent, wary, closed-off Mystique – would tell a relative stranger one of her ex-lover”s biggest secrets. Much less telling a child who was trying to destroy the world like a month ago. “Chatty Cathy” gossip is not in Mystique”s wheelhouse. Just try to imagine that scenario.
Plus, what purpose does this serve? The audience already knows Magneto fathered Quicksilver. We”ve known for two movies now. I was personally sad that Quicksilver couldn”t let his father know the truth in the heat of battle, as it would”ve been even more motivating for Magneto to turn on Apocalypse if he knew his son was in danger. But obviously, they”re saving that reveal for another movie day. One in which Storm may accidentally blurt out the truth like we all tripped and fell into a daytime soap opera? Okay, I guess?
What do you guys think? Was it out of character for Mystique to share a secret with Storm?